September 2, 2015 AT 9:00 am

Making Faux Feathers for Cosplay

If the idea of using real feathers for cosplay squicks you out or if you have allergic reactions to feathers, you have options. Instructables user Marshon shared a tutorial on how to make convincing substitutions from paper. You could use these for all your feather cosplay needs – a feather-covered cape, an elaborate headdress, or a mask. They’ll be less cumbersome for smaller projects, but I think they’d work for larger ones too. Marshon used cereal box cardboard to make the feather templates and a medium weight card stock for the actual feathers (going with a smaller thickness will give the faux feathers more flexibility). Once the basic feather shapes are cut, it’s all about adding details.

Once you have your basic feather shape we need to make two folds along it’s length to form the spine of the quill.

I find it easiest to use a ruler to guide the folds. Start by making a fold just slightly off centre by about 1/16″ or 1.5mm, then turn the feather over and make a second fold in the reverse direction off centre by about the same amount as the first. This will give you a ‘Z’ shaped set of folds along the length of the feather. This will add rigidity and give the impression of the spine of the quill.

Now take your sharp scissors or scalpel / craft knife and make a series of cuts from the edge of the feather towards the quill at regular spaces about 1/8 or 3mm apart. remember to cut only deep enough to leave a 1/8″ or 3mm gap between the cut and the fold of the spine. You want to end up with about 1/4″ or 6mm of the spine / quill uncut as this will form the strength of the feather.

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